Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Rolling Out the Magic Spring Carpet

Those of you who visit Bliss regularly, know that I'm very keen on wildflower meadows. And frankly who wouldn't, as they are so incredibly beautiful. You have to be a real sourpuss indeed not to love them. A while ago I wrote a post about wildflower meadows and how Blissfully wonderful they are.

In that post of July 2008 I also demonstrated that anyone can have a gorgeous, bee-magnet wildflower meadow, even if you don't have a big garden or even a garden.
 And today it's time for another revelation: you can have a wildflower meadow in your garden in early Spring. With a bit of luck it will start to flower in February and will continue to do so until May. Which is very fortunate because that's when the other wildflowers (see pics above) will start to burst into bloom.

Yes, yes, I know, you are chomping at the bit to clap your hot widdle eyes on pics of my Spring wildflower meadow. Well, ladies and gents, let me roll out the Magic Spring Carpet for you:
Last Autumn I planted up a part of the lawn, right next to the garden path in front of the big border, with some 1600 bulbs: winter aconites, snowdrops, botanical crocus, several varieties of botanical tulips, frittilarias, bluebells, botanical narcissussusses, grape hyacinths, iris and more. I simply put all the bulbs in a big basket, gave them a good stir, rolled up the grass carpet, bunged the bulbs in the ground and rolled the grass carpet back. Easy!

And then the hard part started; the waiting to see if they would come up.

My Magic Spring Carpet started to unroll at the end of last February when the first crocus popped up. It could have been weeks earlier but we did have a rather nippy Winter. Since then quite a few spring bulbs have reared their pretty widdle heads. At the moment crocus, winter aconites, snowdrops and iris are in flower and soon, perhaps even later today the first botanical tulip will delight us with her pretty pink bloom.
Another star in the Magic Spring Carpet is the humble Daisy. Who would want to be without it? I certainly won't!

And yes, avid Bliss blog reader, I will provide you with regular updates on how my Magic Spring Carpet is progressing in the coming months as this is only the bashful beginning of it. Later on this Magic Spring Carpet will be bold as brass, I hope, and will not hesitate to hit you in the eye with its exuberant display of colour.

copyright 2011 Y.E.W. Heuzen

17 comments:

Diana said...

It's a lovely spring carpet, Yolanda. I can't imagine all the work you did planting those 1600 bulbs, but the result is beautiful!

Victoria Summerley said...

It looks fabulous! And I love your tulips header picture too xx

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Beautiful carpet of spring beauties. I will be interested in seeing how it progresses. It looks very natural this way. I really like it.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Hi all and welcome to Spring Bliss!

*Diana : it really wasn't much work at all. Browsing thru catalogs took up more time, planting the bulbs no more than an hour.

* Victoria : thanks! The header is a pic of the tulips that flower in my living room right now.

* Lisa : it is a bit of an experiment for me but I'm liking the natural look very much too. Can't wait for the rest to show up!

Barbee' said...

I think I remember when you did this. I was interested in the way you did it and was curious about the outcome. Thank you so much for showing us the results. I love the early spring little bulbs.

Annie in Austin said...

Absolutely charming, Yolanda - and for you they are a wildflower carpet! What a cool idea.
But these sweet bulbs would be exotic treasures here in Austin, and the grasses that Diana & I grow are unable to cooperate and roll up. We can't copy!!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Unknown said...

While I love your spring wildflower garden, it's the meadow in a wheelbarrow that really delights me! I am sorely tempted to do this this summer. But it's all cheery and encouraging.

Glo said...

How very exciting to see spring popping up all over! When you planted 1600, I was inspired so I planted more daffodils (The deer eat tulips). So far the patch is bare, but the bulbs that I planted in pots and in the front have come up. Each time I see one, I say..oh, there's a bit of Bliss! So thank you, and I look forward to seeing your carpet flourish!

chuck b. said...

)cough( did you say )Le Gasp( 1600?

Arabella Sock said...

I love your Magic carpet but even more I love the pretty blue wheelbarrow!

Janet/Plantaliscious said...

How lovely, what a great idea - though the thought of planting so many bulbs in one go made me blench...

Alex aus dem Gwundergarten said...

Hi Bliss!
What a wonderful spring meadow! And what a great idea with the wheelbarrow. It looks gorgeous and I'd love to copy this idea (I hope you don't mind)... maybe I find the right place for such a piece... but first I need to find a wheelbarrow or something similiar...maybe on a flee market. Let's see. Good things will need their time :o)
Take care
Alex

Matron said...

How wonderful! Holland really is the bulb capital of the world for good reason!

Barbara said...

I remember so well the post you did with this wheelbarrow...and this was in 2008 already! Unbelievable, time flies! I am full of admiration for the 1600 bulb flowers to come but also for the job you did when you created this spring carpet (my first thought was...oh dear, one has to dig them first;-) !).
Wishing you a blooming and lovely Springtime!
Barbara

em said...

how exquisite! i know photos probably do not do justice to the carpet in person!

greenfingersmum said...

Love the spring magic carpet!

http://greenfingersmum.blogspot.com

Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings said...

I love your magic spring carpet, magic carpet indeed!~~Dee